October 28, 2009

30 years, one family has been volunteering to change lives through Heartland Alliance—and in the process, they've changed their own.

Juju Lien first volunteered with Heartland Alliance in 1978, during the resettlement of refugees from Cambodia. The volunteer gig soon led to a full-time position with the refugee services program, where she worked for several years. After ending her employment at Heartland Alliance, she continued to help out with refugee programs and has been serving for several years on the Heartland Housing board.

During her earliest days on the job, Lien was interviewed by a Chicago Tribune reporter named Bob Cross, who was covering the resettlement. The pair hit it off, began dating, and later married.

After retiring from the Trib, Bob began assisting twice a week with the Travelers Aid program at O'Hare, Heartland Alliance's oldest program. "I did travel writing for 14 years," he explains, "so I got to know O'Hare pretty well. Volunteering there keeps my travel bug alive. It feels good to help people, and they really appreciate it."

Heartland Alliance has also been part of the life of Amy—Bob and Juju's daughter—from day one. "Shortly after she was born, I still didn't have a name for her," Juju says. "I happened to mention this to the refugee program director. She was going into a staff meeting and said, 'I'll put it on the agenda.' The staff came up with several names, including Amy."

After her first year of college in 2001, Amy started an internship with the Heartland Alliance National Immigrant Justice Center, working on training and legislation to fight child trafficking. The internship sparked an interest in law, particularly juvenile justice. After another stint volunteering for NIJC this year, Amy Cross is now enrolled at Cardozo Law School in New York City.

We can't promise the kind of experiences Juju and her family have had, but we can promise that volunteering at Heartland Alliance is richly rewarding. If you would like to make a difference, contact Cherrell Jackson, community resources coordinator, at cjackson@heartlandalliance.org or 312.660.1310.

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